14 Stunning Photos of Julie Andrews Over the Years

At 80, she's showing no signs of stopping.

By
Samantha Escobar

Sep 30, 2015

At 80, she's showing no signs of stopping.

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1950

The English actress's professional career started early — at just 14, she starred on popular ventriloquist Peter Brough's radio show Educating Archie. But like all stars' early roles, this was a weird one: Andrews actually played the puppet's girlfriend. Yikes!

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1956

Before My Fair Lady was made into an award-winning film (it won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture!) starring Audrey Hepburn, Andrews had the honor of bringing Eliza Doolittle to life in the hit Broadway musical.

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1957

Fun fact: Renowned musical composer Richard Rodgers was so impressed with Andrews's My Fair Lady performance, that her tapped her to portray the title character in a live broadcast production ofCinderella. Can you imagine anyone looking for more elegant in this princess-worthy gown?

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1959

After the pair met while they both were filming Humpty Dumpty, she married set designer Tony Walton on May 10, 1959 in Weybridge, Surrey, wearing a stunning lace wedding gown.

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1962

Though Andrews' marriage to Walton ended after eight years, the pair welcomed a beautiful daughter, Emma Walton. These days, little Emma, now 52, is an accomplished actress in her own right — but we can't help but say, "awwww!," after seeing this photo of her as a tiny baby.

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1964

In one of her most iconic roles, Andrews played the mysteriously charming and witty nanny Mary Poppins, making every kid in America wish they could have her as their babysitter faster than you could say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

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1965

This scene in The Sound of Music may have seemed effortlessly breathtaking, but get this: Andrews says she repeatedly lost her balance while shooting it as a result of being circled by the helicopter filming her. "I really tried. I mean, I braced myself, I thought, 'It's not going to get me this time.' And every single time, I bit the dust." We have an all-new appreciation for this movie moment now!

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1967

The Sound of Music went on to be the highest-grossing film of 1965, boosting Andrews even further into Hollywood stardom. And audiences didn't just love it — critics were wowed, too. Andrews earned herself a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Two years later, she starred in the critically acclaimed (read: seven Oscar and five Academy Award noms!) musical film, Thoroughly Modern Millie.

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1979

The Hollywood Walk of Fame wouldn't be complete without Andrews' name in a star.

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1982

Going back to her stage roots, Andrews starred as a penniless opera singer who disguises herself as a man. While her role was critically lauded, she famously refused her Tony nomination, stating that the awards show had "egregiously overlooked" the musical's cast and crew.

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1986

After getting a divorce from her first husband in 1967, Julie met the love of her life: director Blake Edwards, whom she was married to from 1969 until his death in 2010. Edwards directed iconic films like Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Pink Panther, and 10, making him almost as legendary as his wife. Oh, and did we mention he directed Andrews in Victor/Victoria, the film from the previous slide? Talk about a power couple!

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1989

In the '90s, Andrews was forced to take a pause in her career after a supposedly "corrective" surgery left her hoarse and raspy. "I can sing the hell out of 'Old Man River,'" she's been quoted as saying after the incident.

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2005

Fortunately (for both Andrews and the rest of the world), she made a career comeback in 2001 with The Princess Diaries costarring alongside Anne Hathaway. Andrews also branched out into the literary sphere, authoring a beautifully illustrated children's book called Simeon's Gift about — you probably could've guessed it — a musician.

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2015

Now celebrating her 80th birthday, this grandmother of nine (and great-grandmother of three!) is showing no signs of stopping. In August, it was announced that she would direct My Fair Lady for Opera Australia in 2016 — a beautiful production brought full circle by a musical legend.

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